Ask The Rabbi

Canopies Made from Can O' Peas

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Topic: Canopy, Wedding

Minda wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

I will be married in a little more than a year. Recently I have been to many weddings in which the marrying couple made their own chuppah (wedding canopy). While I have been encouraged to rent a chuppah, I thought this was very impersonal. Unfortunately, I have found little in the way of construction instructions, and the ones I have found seemed very odd (including a metal, three- poled version). Are there certain requirements for construction that I should consider? Thank you!

Pollyana in Reykjavik, Iceland wrote:

Dear Rabbi

In the Bible I read about people getting married but I don't find any description of the ceremony. I want to know why we have a wedding ceremony like it is today and if there is any written document where I can read about it.


Dear Minda and Pollyana,

A chuppah is a piece of cloth draped over four poles. The only real "requirement" is that it be big enough for the bride and groom to stand under and that there be room for the bride to circle the groom.

One way to make the chuppah more personal would be to decorate an existing one. You could cover it completely with your own decorations to the extent that you won't even be able to see the original one!

The Torah (Bible) is approximately 3% written and 97% explanation, given by G-d to Moses on mount Sinai! That's why there's so little written about the actual wedding ceremony in the Bible. For info on the Jewish wedding ceremony, visit our website: http://www.ohr.org.il/judaism/articles/wedding.htm.

An excellent book on the subject is Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's "Made in Heaven" (Moznaim Publishers).


 
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